Chapter 111: The Hunters

"I've seen it with my own eyes twice." Chen Fan pulled his neck in, recalling the scene.

Confessing to crimes is like urinating—once it starts, even if it's intermittent, it's hard to stop.

Under Liu Jinghui's "encouragement," Chen Fan slowly said: "The first time, it was two backpackers, the kind who go exploring, both carrying big packs, looking very professional. They saw Old Hu shooting birds with an air rifle and shouted out, scaring off his birds."

Liu Jinghui listened in silence.

Chen Fan paused briefly, then continued: "I saw Old Hu and the others were upset, so I went over to show off and started yelling at them. Those two talked about environmental protection, said frogs were now protected animals, let alone wild chickens..."

"Who's Old Hu?"

"I don't know his real name. I just follow my uncle's habit of calling him that."

"Your real uncle? What's his name?"

Chen Fan didn't hesitate long: "Chen Deling."

Liu Jinghui signaled the court reporter to note it clearly, then said: "Continue."

"Yes, I ran errands for them a few times, trying to win favor, arguing with them, when I noticed Old Guo circling around from the side... Old Guo was also a quiet type—I only knew him as Old Guo."

Liu Jinghui nodded and asked: "He circled around—then what?"

"Then, like during a hunt, he had a double-barreled shotgun, a break-action type—you open it at the barrel, load two shells in. Old Guo was the team's heavy gunner; his shotgun was for hunting wild boar and bears."

When Chen Fan spoke of firearms, he showed a flicker of excitement, licking his lips: "Old Guo's double-barreled shotgun used 12-gauge shells—one shot to a bear's head could blow off half its skull."

Liu Jinghui ordered someone to bring him a glass of water.

Chen Fan drank, then recalled: "I was still talking when I noticed Old Guo—he'd already loaded the shells. Then—bang, bang—both backpackers flew backward."

"Old Guo shot both men?"

"Yeah. He hit them in the chest and abdomen. They struggled for a while and died."

"Then what?"

"Then he told me to put on gloves, check their backpacks, sort out anything usable, drag the bodies to the roadside, cover them with leaves, then carry the packs and keep hunting with them..." Chen Fan's voice grew low.

Liu Jinghui pressed for many more details, especially the positions of the bodies.

Liu Jinghui hoped to confirm this case too—if they could find even a single human remnant at the crime scene, like a bone, their investigation and interrogation would be a success!

As for capturing the poaching gang, Director Liu felt more confident.

No matter how cunning a criminal gang, they're powerless against the crushing weight of state machinery.

This process is like searching a septic tank for a corpse—the crucial thing is knowing the septic tank exists. The actual retrieval may be disgusting, troublesome, even long—but if the earlier steps are done right, the later ones will inevitably yield results.

"What about the second time?" Liu Jinghui asked, as if chatting casually, his tone calm.

At this point, Chen Fan had nothing left to hide.

Chen Fan himself knew it too—he leaned back, his whole body seeming to relax: "The second time, also two people—two female backpackers. One was quite pretty, like the campus beauty from my school days."

"Then what?"

"Then, just like the first time—they happened upon a hunt, the two women kept nagging, so Old Hu walked up and shot the front one dead."

"What did he shoot her with?"

"NZ75—the northern industry copy of the CZ75." Chen Fan explained with perfect clarity.

In the surveillance room, Jiang Yuan searched online—NZ75 used 9mm ammunition.

"What happened after the front woman was killed?"

"Old Hu still told them to drag her to the roadside. Then... the other woman was prettier, so they made her carry all the gear for the journey. By afternoon, she was too exhausted to walk, so they raped her, then shot her, took what they still needed, and left me to clean up the rest."

This brief passage left everyone in the room stunned.

Liu Jinghui's expression didn't change, but his heartbeat seemed to pause for a moment—even as a seasoned detective, hearing this triggered an instinctive nausea, a physical revulsion.

This wasn't just wanton cruelty—it was extreme indifference and terror.

In the surveillance room, Jiang Yuan thought of the corpses. A skeletonized body couldn't prove rape—if they hadn't caught the perpetrators, no one would ever know the victims had suffered such a fate before death.

"Did you participate in the rape?" Liu Jinghui asked.

"No." Chen Fan answered quickly.

"Who did?"

"Only Old Guo and Old Liu. They demanded it."

"What about Old Hu?"

"He didn't join either." Chen Fan whispered: "Old Hu just likes hunting."

"So you witnessed two killings, but saw four people killed?" Liu Jinghui summarized Chen Fan's testimony.

Chen Fan nodded and said: "Yes."

"What did you do afterward?" Liu Jinghui asked.

"I carried their unused supplies and trash to a deep pool, weighted them down with stones. I dragged the bodies down the hillside and buried them with dirt."

With this confession, Chen Fan's account matched the known details of the Su Qin and Sun Jingyi cases.

Although the initial Li Sanqiu case still lacked details, the overall framework of this series was now clear.

Liu Jinghui pressed on, seeking more information.

Meanwhile, outside, police teams began organizing—some headed to Lao Hu's old hunting trails to search for items Chen Fan described; most waited for the arrest.

With Chen Fan's testimony, the gang's profile gradually became clear.

They were a group of old hunters living in the mountains, five men total. With hunting banned in many areas and guns confiscated, they banded together to hunt on their own, selling game for money.

They specialized in hunting endangered protected species, because they fetched higher prices.

Gradually, they received more orders and earned more income.

With rising income and their passion, the gang spent most of the year in the mountains.

They were like fishing fanatics—except they hunted.

And they killed.

Due to his uncle's connection, Chen Fan began supplying the hunters—food, drink, medicine, tents—all needed to be brought from outside, including firearms and ammunition, supplied by multiple fixed vendors.

Chen Fan, for instance, regularly supplied air rifle parts and ammunition, and helped reload cartridges.

The interrogation continued; Jiang Yuan stepped out of the surveillance room.

Too many people inside—the air was thick, suffocating.

In the Wenshang Police Station courtyard, officers from various units exchanged stories. Despite different departments—criminal investigation, public order, supervision, political work—they were surprisingly harmonious, chatting cheerfully without knowing each other's exact roles.

Most here didn't know the case details—and didn't need to. The tasks—searching, patrolling, arresting—were all familiar.

Jiang Yuan walked slowly, suddenly wondering if he felt out of place...

"Jiang Yuan." Wei Zhenguo suddenly appeared, grinning and grabbing his arm.

"Chief Wei!" Jiang Yuan was delighted.

In this environment, meeting a familiar face from the bureau felt unexpectedly warm.

He immediately realized—he'd returned to Ningtai County, and Liu Jinghui had assembled such a large team for this case; they must have pulled personnel from Ningtai County Bureau.

Wei Zhenguo's mood was good too—he slapped Jiang Yuan's shoulder several times, whispering: "You've worked hard. You've lost weight. Everyone says you got a commendation, but you never came back. How's it going—following the Detective King, interesting?"

"A bit tired, but okay." Jiang Yuan's emotions were on the edge; hearing "you've worked hard" made his eyes suddenly sting.

Still, seeing a familiar face was comforting and joyful.

Wei Zhenguo had been through it—he saw Jiang Yuan's expression and knew: he'd seen too many filthy things. Young officers, especially new ones, were raised on proper education, vibrant and idealistic; even if they'd seen dark things online, they hadn't truly felt them.

But once you've experienced it firsthand, it's different—that's the transformation from a rookie cop to a seasoned one. Forensic officers feel it even more acutely.

The darkness of society can never truly be adapted to—and criminals always wait until you think you've seen enough, until you feel experienced, then pull out something so vile you can't accept it!

Wei Zhenguo slapped Jiang Yuan's arm hard.

"Come on, let's smoke."

He pulled Jiang Yuan along and called over other familiar officers like Mu Zhiyang.

Several Ningtai County Bureau detectives found a pomegranate tree, gathered around its bright red potted fruit, and lit up.

In no time, the pot was filled with cigarette butts.

The detectives seemed delighted, as if they'd transformed the environment, and began sharing recent workplace stories, each smiling with relief.

Jiang Yuan stood among them, smoking the long, slightly unpleasant Baishan cigarette Chief Wei handed him.

His mind quietly settled.

He suddenly realized—he wasn't the only one burdened with suppressed emotion.

He wasn't the only one standing on the front line against darkness.

They were together.

————EXTRA NOTES————

Late update, meow~